Two to three cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and dangerous heart rhythms according to studies being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 71st Annual Scientific Session. Both people with and without cardiovascular disease had the same trends. The analyses, the largest to look at coffee's potential role in heart disease and death, provide reassurance that coffee isn't tied to new or worsening heart disease and may actually be heart protective.
Coffee can quicken heart rate, so some people worry that drinking it could cause heart issues. This is where general medical advice to stop drinking coffee can come from. Peter M. Kistler, MD, professor and head of arrhythmia research at the Alfred Hospital said that daily coffee intake shouldn't be discouraged, but rather included as a part of a healthy diet for people with and without heart disease.
Kistler and his team used data from the UK BioBank, a large-scale prospective database with health information from over half a million people who were followed for at least 10 years. Coffee consumption ranged from up to a cup to more than six cups a day and the relationship with heart rhythm problems, as well as cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. Patients were grouped by how much coffee they drank. Coffee drinking was assessed from questionnaires. They either found no effect or, in many cases, significant reductions in cardiovascular risk after controlling for exercise, alcohol, smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure, that could also play a role in heart health and longevity.
The first study looked at data from 382,535 individuals without known heart disease to see if coffee drinking played a role in the development of heart disease or stroke. Half of the participants were women. Coffee is associated with a 10%- 15% lower risk of developing heart disease, heart failure, or dying for any reason, if you have two to three cups of coffee a day. People who drank one cup of coffee a day had the lowest risk of death. Coffee intake and new heart rhythm problems were observed by researchers. The maximum benefit was seen among people drinking two to three cups of coffee a day, with less benefit seen among those drinking more or less.
34,279 people were included in the second study. Coffee consumption of two to three cups a day was associated with a lower chance of dying. Kistler said that consuming any amount of coffee was not associated with a higher risk of heart rhythm problems. Coffee is associated with a lower risk of death for people who had an arrhythmia at baseline. People who drank one cup of coffee a day were 20% less likely to die than people who didn't.
Clinicians generally have some apprehension about people with known cardiovascular disease or arrhythmias continuing to drink coffee, so they often advise them to stop drinking it altogether due to fears that it may cause dangerous heart rhythms.
Kistler said that people should not increase their coffee intake if it makes them feel anxious or uncomfortable.
Coffee drinkers should feel reassured that they can continue to enjoy coffee even if they have heart disease. Coffee is the most common cognitive enhancer, it wakes you up, makes you mentally sharper and it is a very important component of many people's daily lives.
Coffee beans might benefit the heart. Coffee beans have over 100 biologically active compounds. Kistler said that these substances can help reduce stress and inflammation, boost metabolism, and prevent gut absorption of fat.
Researchers looked at the relationship between coffee and cardiovascular disease if someone drank instant or ground coffee. They found that two to three cups of coffee a day was associated with the lowest risk of arrhythmias, strokes, and heart failure regardless of whether they had ground or instant coffee. Coffee types had lower rates of death. Decaf coffee did not have a good effect against arrhythmia, but it did reduce cardiovascular disease. There are no cardiovascular benefits to choosing decaf over caffeinated coffees, according to the findings.
There are a number of limitations to these studies. They were not able to adjust for any of the factors that may play a role in cardiovascular disease. Additional studies are needed to determine if the findings extend to other populations. Coffee intake was based on self-report at study entry. This should be considered when interpreting the study findings, as research suggests that people's diet doesn't change much over time. Kistler said the results should be tested in randomized trials.
The study, "Effects of Habitual Coffee Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease, Arrhythmia, and Mortality: Findings from UK BioBank" will be presented on April 3.
The second study, "Regular Coffee Intake is Associated with Improved Mortality in Prevalent Cardiovascular Disease", will be presented on April 2.
The third study isGround, Instant, or Decaffeinated Coffee? The Impact of Different Coffee Subtypes on Incident Arrhythmia, Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality will be presented on April 3.
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